I think it is about time steps were taken to reduce the powers of social workers. I have been a foster carer for nearly 13 years and I am not impressed with how the sytem works at all. i have read a couple of posts here and agree that these people gang up, in mafia style and abuse their power of which theyhave far too much. all it needs is for childrens services to be worried about a child, and without evidence the parents/carer loose their child. During my fostering creer, I have been threatened with the removal of the child in question because I have differing views. It has also been interesting to note that they are the parents when an important decision which does not involve funding is needed, as soon as funding is required I am responsible. I know that there are many dedicated social workers
who are caring people indeed I have a very dear friend who is one of these and would not dream of treating anyone in this way. However, unfortunately she is in the minority these days and it seems people enter this profession for the wrong reasons. Something needs to be done.

I have so many problems with my social workers. My baby was taken from me the day we were discharged from hospital after his birth. He is currently in foster care. I have met the foster carers and they are amazing people and although they are looking after my baby perfectly he should be with his mummy.

Social workers seem to be power freaks nowadays and I feel instead of them working with me to help get my baby home ASAP they completely go against me and want me and him to be apart, they have even gone as far as to say that he would be better off been adopted. I would never agree to this. They have lied, twisted things I have said in assessment reports and made out that I don't care about my baby which is all untrue. I feel that because I have 2 social workers aswell they work together and plot how they can ruin my life just a little bit more. I have complied with everything they have asked of me since they have been involved. I never miss appointments, I do as they say, I go to contact on time and attend every single session yet I get no sort of praise or support from anyone. I even express my breast milk for my baby every 2-3 hours daily, even through the night because I want to make sure he has the best. They tried to stop me doing this and told me it's inconvenient for them to be taking the milk to the foster carers daily. They don't have my baby's best interests at heart, they just want to hurt me and take him away!

I was a councillor for six years working with Children's Services and fostering panels. Social workers some of whom are well meaning do not have the training or understanding of basic principles of natural justice. They do not realise that prejudging people on the basis of prejudice is entirely unprofessional and unlawful and unacceptable in a free and just society.

A poor, single mother, living in difficult circumstances with a violent boyfriend with not be helped by social services to care for her child - WHY NOT? Social services are paid for by tax payers precisely to help the vulnerable. They do not understand this. They are usually well meaning and well intentioned people who believe parents are dangerous and that a child is better off in repeated failing foster placements than with its own family. They do not try to help families they have prejudged, without reliance on evidence - their only solution is remove children from those who love them most, into a failing care system where they are neglected and ignored. They believe they are right and use taxpayer money to prove it - they do not accept mistakes are ever made.

This is an extraordinarily shocking and abusive system - we do not hear about it because the people they target usually have no voice and no resource to challenge the system. They are out of control - even councillors are afraid to challenge them, when they claim to know what is in 'a child's best interests' - they are putting their own interests first - their job, the publicity for the Council, the desire to avoid a Baby P and the implications for them - all that is more important than the innocent families and children they routinely abuse - with a life time of implications for the children removed from their families - by people with no concept of justice, impartiality, balance, evidence based fact - routine professional requirement. Bias and prejudice and a simple minded believe that they know best is their only guide. FRG you are doing a good job please keep trying to help people who are being so grotesquely abused in this way.

No not at all, My case is a prime example one of many im finding out. Whilst i read lots of posts it just makes me more angry!
Social care have bent over backwards to keep my son, it went from ex partner been risk to in less than 24 hrs due to him been sentences, to my mental health! My parental skills are not in question apprentently how ever it doesnt feel that way. My sw made it crystal clear her view and quoted in front of others " I cant ever believe a word you say again"! So how on gods earth do you make changes and rebuild when they really dont care.
I will not until the bitter end be defeated no matter what is stacked aganst me, sw coming today for first session little does she know i have requested advocacy support as my right as i dont trust them!
I will go through every means needed to voice my case and prove them wrong! Im an intelligent women who is more than aware this is personal and they will stop at absolutely nothing to keep my son from me, so all i can do is fight! I was told they are there to support both child and parent and look for ways to reunite this is rubbish they take fragments of your life cling on to the past and run like the wind with no thought or feelings for the parent! I remain guarded.

keep going girl, and well done, this is something they will not like at all - somebody else witnessing what is said.One of my social workers closes the door if anybody else is around so they cant hear what is being said, however this will happen no more! the more you challenge the more they become nasty but don't let them get you down, keep fighting and you will be proved (as I have) many times right in the end.

I notice in your post, you accept that ‘there are many dedicated social workers who are caring people’, and doing their best to help the children and families they are working with, in what can sometimes be quite difficult circumstances. Unfortunately, as in any profession, there are times when this is not always the case.

For instance, when the working relationship is no longer a constructive one, or if professional boundaries appear to have become blurred. The complaints procedure is designed to examine and address any concerns raised about poor social work practice. Families are also entitled to apply for access to records held about them. Under the Data Protection Act, however, there may be some restrictions about the type of information given.

Support person

Any family involved with Children’s Services, is entitled to request a support person (of your choice) to be present at meetings and visits.

Where possible be open with the social worker, in advance about your intention to invite another party to attend. Be clear whether they are a relative, family member or a professional, and what their relationship is to you.

In this way confidentiality issues are addressed from the outset. Then decisions about what information gets shared outside of the meeting, and under what circumstances, becomes clear to all parties. This could help to prevent any confusion at a later date.

Where Children's Services refuse your request for a support person to be present, it is important you ask why, and request the reasons for their decision is given to you in writing.

Parental advocacy in child protection

In the event of children subject to child protection plans, the Family Rights Group provide professional advocacy to parents to help them express their views, and inform them about the obligations of the Local Authority, and relevant aspects of child care law, at child protection conferences, held within the London area.

However, good practice suggests that having an advocate present can help to build bridges, and resolve difficulties in the working relationship, between families and social workers. That said, the service is dependent on Children’s Services being willing to fund the service, but it is not an automatic right. Any parent that believes that an advocate attending an initial or review child protection conferences, may be useful, should first discuss a possible referral with the social worker, to see if funding can be agreed.

Social services have made me change my address, engaged in parenting assessments etc, give my child to his grandparents and put me through hell and back with no proof and only a child protection plan.
What i'm learning now is the way they cornered me into signing a vollentary placement to hi grandparents was wrong and that i had the right to object which they certainly didnt give me the option to do so I was made to think that if I said no, he would go to foster care and this would make me an awful mother.

I was made to remove his clothes and I did everything they asked and they still have no proof that anything ever happened to my child and it wasn’t even me under question but my ‘then’ boyfriend and the agreement was that I could never see him again if I wanted my son back which I didn’t and I cut all contact, moved house, changed numbers, don’t go on facebook!

I’m going to look into compensation for me and my family as I feel I was completely let down and that they abused their power and the meetings were always cancelled last minute, some people never received minutes of the meeting even though his real father did and he has NO contact with his father and till this day he hasn’t bothered to turn up for a meeting or for any contact. The social worker held back important information from me and my words were twisted.

If I said I felt sad and I missed my child and I cried at the meetings, I was asked if I should visit the doctor to make sure I was emotionally stable. If I agreed with everything they asked of me and didn’t query anything, I was accused of not caring or giving a crap about my child. If I said i felt I was in a position where I didn’t know what to say as the woman completing my parenting assessment asked me if I wanted a boyfriend and I said I didn’t and no I wasn’t interested. She said this was very worrying. So I felt if I had said yes I did want a partner she would of wrote in her report that I was already thinking about a man and I hadn’t even got my son back yet. So I was honest and I confessed to her that I felt she was putting me in a situation where I didn’t know the correct thing to say anymore.
I then received the outcome of the parenting assessment a few weeks later and she twisted my words to say she felt the answers I were giving to her questions were the ones I thought she wanted to hear and I wasn’t being open and honest.

Don't trust social services. Don't assume they have you or your childs best intrests and whatever you do don't give in. If they don't have proof they have to take you to court (an option i missed out on) and this will be lengthly, costly and above all they have to gather evidence for this.

I'm completely at witts end after only just starting a rehabilitation program after nearly a year from hell. Also just had a meeting today and they said that it was in my sons best intrests to see his gparents every weekend, all weekend. I argued and said this wasn't fair as i work all week and i deserve to see my son after not having him for months on end. No one backed me up obviously because me and the gparents dont get on and were delighted with this arangement. Im sick of everyone elses concerns and opinions being taken onboard but not mine. They have to wean him off his grandparents care and his grandparents off caring for him but i was given no gradual weening process. MY son was taken, cruely and quickly and my feelings were never ever taken into consideration. I've just about had enough!!

Hi
I'm new to this site but after reading similar stories to mine has made me feel not so isolated in this horrid situation.
I have just had a visit today from social worker to review my parental assessment which I have been under for the last 8 weeks. I now have another month and a half to wait to hear what outcome of it is and whether social services will be recommending the kids to live with their dad and with me only at the weekend.
This threat has now resorted to me not being truthful about my daughters behaviour which to me feels so wrong and unfair that I should have to withhold concerning information in order to keep my children.
The system is corrupt and I feel they have failed to help us as a family infact have made things worse overall.
Id love to hear from anyone on here as I feel very alone no one understanding my side of the story no one willing to stand up to social services on my behalf. It just ends up me trying to fight the system which then they turn everything around and put it down to my mental health and is a passport to their descision of taking them away as I'm not consistant in my parenting just because I have a daughter who is violent towards me and I'm struggling to cope.
Hope everyone on here is winning their battles.
x

Simple answer - no. They will do their level best to destroy you and your family at all costs. They are only interested in prioritising their own security of employment over and above anyone else. Unless you photograph and record everything in front of them they will twist and lie, under the auspices of "social worker's" opinion. They are to be avoided at all cost if you wish to preserve your family's rights and dignity.

No you can't trust them!
My social worker failed to contact me to do a home assessment. Got my lawyer to contact her as I'd never had any contact letters nothing from the apparent SW going to do an assessment on me (pre birth plan) she responded to my lawyer that if I did not meet with her she'd use old information and circumstances that may not reflect my current circumstances in her words. Still no letter phone call or even a request to meet me. So I contacted her and she has went threw both me and my partners full history from school years etc to where we are now. We have let social work do they're investigation and proved me have a good relationship home everything is fine etc proved we have no criminal backgrounds etc the SW even asked to check my mental health records which I agreed. They have found nothing but will have a CPC straight after I give both at the hospital and even suggesting he goes on the child protection register. They have no proof of any domestic violence no confirmation of any of the accusations made we proved we are not a risk and they still won't ***** off and they phoned my council about my housing benefit to ***** me over. They have at no point tried to help only caused a unbearable amount of stress and worry